


Equivalent Exchange

by tropicalspace



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allura Has The Patience of a Saint, Attempt at Humor, Awkward Sexual Situations, F/M, Mildly Dubious Consent, rewrite of the s5 finale where it's mostly the same except they have to have sex to get out, trapped in a cave
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-09
Updated: 2018-05-09
Packaged: 2019-05-04 06:50:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14587368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tropicalspace/pseuds/tropicalspace
Summary: In which Allura questions everything about her ancestors and realizes the White Lion has a sick sense of humor.





	Equivalent Exchange

**Author's Note:**

> Just like it says on the tin - everything that happens in the episode "White Lion" stays the same, except after they almost get attacked by the statues and run into the next room, instead of finding the TeleDov shenanigans ensue!

In the next room stood the glowing visage of the White Lion, stationed alongside the wall at the other side. Its tail swung lightly while it seemed to regard them, its pupil-less eyes piercing. Allura couldn’t help the chill that ran up her spine as she and Lotor both slowly descended the steps towards the creature. The only thing that separated them was a raised platform in the center of the room, carved in swirling designs and only about knee height.

As they grew closer, Allura turned her head towards Lotor. “Does it want something else?” She breathed.

The prince twitched his shoulders in a shrug, his gaze not leaving the lion’s for a moment. “I can only hope it doesn’t involve more spears.”

It was only the potential danger they were in and the general absurdity of the situation that allowed her to hold back a huff of laughter. Instead she reached forward to poke the back of Lotor’s elbow. From her view at his side she could just see the corners of his lips turn up in a smirk.

The smile on her own face soon fell as they began to realize that with every step they took, the more the lion appeared to become restless, its tail lashing violently behind it. But something compelled them forward – when they finally approached the platform between them, its lips curled in a silent snarl, but it moved no further itself.

Whatever it wanted, moving any closer to it than they have seemed like the wrong choice, given how agitated it had become. Otherwise the room was silent, no sound except for the pounding of blood inside Allura’s ears and the shallow breaths of both her and Lotor. They couldn’t help but stare back at the massive beast, its aura almost suffocating, its crackle of power feeling like lightning underneath her skin. Whatever it was, or came from, was ancient, far beyond even this temple that surrounded them.

Allura chose to speak first, stepping forward slightly. “Great Lion, we are here to learn the secrets of Altean alchemy. What must we do to prove ourselves worthy?”

At first, there was no reaction. Then the lion growled, the rumble of it so deep Allura felt it in her bones, before it disappeared. At the same time, the wall behind them closed, sealing them inside of the room with a cloud of dust.

Allura and Lotor tensed, automatically readying themselves in a fighting stance. “We’re trapped!” Allura exclaimed, eyes darting around the room for any sign of danger. Lotor’s expression was grim as he, too, scanned the area for any emerging enemies or wayward statues.

But despite their suddenly dire circumstances, nothing else had changed. Nothing came out to attack them, and both walls remained sealed shut. For the foreseeable future, neither of them were leaving this room.

It was Lotor that relaxed first, his brows furrowed as he stood tall once more. “I do not think anything is coming for us.”

Allura paused, waiting just a moment longer, before she too straightened up. “If the White Lion doesn’t mean for us to fight, there must be something else significant in this room.”

Lotor nodded. “A test, perhaps. There has to be a clue somewhere.”

She understood the importance of maintaining the secrets of Altean alchemy, but a slightly bitter part of her wondered how many tests they’d have to pass before they could return back to her castle. As Lotor moved towards the walls, she found herself drawn towards the platform in the center of the room.

It was rather unremarkable, save for the intricate designs along its sides. They glowed the same dim green as the rest of the room. She brushed her hand along its flat top, and was surprised to find it warmer than she expected.

“Allura.”

She turned. Lotor was examining the walls, and as she walked closer she began to see exactly what he was looking at.

Ruins. Not unlike the ones near the entrance of the temple. But while those seemed to be random iconography, these repeatedly featured the same two figures. They almost seemed to be entangled in some kind of dance, switching from being apart to together then apart again.

“These have to be some kind of clue,” she murmured, bending forward and squinting to see them closer. “But what does it mean? And why would the lion want us to see them?”

“I’m not sure myself,” Lotor said. “But look, they go all the way around the room.”

The room was dome-shaped, each side eventually curving into the other. But instead of the drawings meeting together in an infinite loop, they both continued down on the ground at exactly the north and south of the room, trailing along the floor until they finally stopped at where the platform was.

A peculiar feeling was beginning to tickle the back of her mind. Something was very off about this room and these drawings, and Allura just wished she could figure out what. Pidge or Hunk probably could, she silently bemoaned. Riddles weren’t exactly her forte. And there was definitely  _something_  that had to be deduced from these drawings.

“They all lead to this platform,” Allura mused. “I don’t know what they are, exactly, but I think the key lies in the center of this room.” She sighed, frustrated. “I just wish I could figure out what they want us to  _do_.”

She didn’t realize how tense she was until she felt a hand touch her shoulder. Lotor met her gaze and smiled, and Allura couldn’t help but smile back, his touch oddly calming.

“It will be all right. The guardians chose us – we just need to put our heads together and think. And besides,” he raised an eyebrow, adding dryly. “I hardly think that White Lion would lead us all this way just to have us waste away in here.”

Allura snorted. “Yes, it wouldn’t be the most exciting end, would it?” She squeezed his hand, still warm and bracing on her shoulder. “Thank you. It won’t do any good to let these frustrations get to me.”

“Of course. Far be it from me to object to anyone acting less than thrilled about this entire thing.”

Allura actually let out a surprised laugh at that one, reaching up to cover her mouth. She knew this whole experience was likely to be filled with danger, and while she was telling the truth when she told the other Paladins that she trusted Lotor to accompany her on this journey, she’d never dreamed that Lotor would actually be pretty…

“Allura?”

She blinked, snapping out of her thoughts to find Lotor looking curiously at her. Embarrassed that she’d been caught staring, she quickly tried to explain.

“Sorry, it’s just. I didn’t expect you to be so funny.”

More like ‘have any sense of humor’, but Allura didn’t want to be  _that_ honest. Lotor had a look on his face that looked like he knew exactly what she was thinking, but he only smirked, his expression mild as he turned towards the ruins once again.

“The Galra typically don’t encourage that kind of behavior. Perhaps it’s the Altean side of the family.”

Allura snorted. “Then you must have gotten the good genes, because I can never finish telling a joke for the life of me.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, it’s awful! I either fumble up the wording completely or worse, give away the punchline too early. Luckily the Paladins always end up having a good laugh at my efforts anyway.”

Whatever Lotor said in response was lost to her as she suddenly froze, the smile wiped off her face.

The Paladins. Her friends, waiting and slowly losing precious oxygen as they stood around here and  _joked_. What was the matter with her? This wasn’t supposed to be fun - it was a mission. Every tick they wasted here was another one keeping them from returning back to her castle.

She could feel her face twitch as her jaw tightened, lips pressed in a solid line. If Lotor had anything to say about her mood suddenly changing he kept it to himself. Instead he turned back towards the walls again, as if sensing the more serious atmosphere, the light-hearted moment between them lost.

It hadn’t been too much longer after that, just enough time for Allura to feel like throwing something from studying these same ruins so hard, before Lotor made a questioning noise. Allura swung her head around, eyes on him immediately.

“What is it?”

The prince was staring at the platform now, one hand placed on it like she had earlier. His brows were furrowed. “It’s warm.”

“Yes, I felt it earlier. What of it?”

If Lotor noticed the impatient tone of her voice, he ignored it. Instead his expression grew even more serious, his golden eyes narrowed. “Was it this warm when you touched it? It’s almost hot now.”

Allura reached forward herself, placing her hand near his. Immediately, the stone started to glow bright white, the color spreading from their palms towards the edge of the platform. With a cry, Allura snatched her hand back in surprise. Even with Lotor’s hand still on, the light began to fade away, ebbing slowly until it disappeared altogether.

The uneasy feeling she felt earlier came back with a vengeance, goosebumps beginning to prickle underneath her armor. Allura shook her head, clenching her hand to her chest. “Whatever this room wants, it needs both of us.”

If Lotor seemed serious before, he looked positively grim now. At her words, she could see one of his ears twitch, but his gaze seemed unfocused as he stared back at the walls around them.

Looking back, Allura could almost appreciate the relative calm their atmosphere was in there at that very moment. If she wasn’t so busy wracking her brain on what they should do next and what the platform had to do with it, maybe she would have noticed the moment Lotor finally began to put two and two together, the way his whole body seemed to draw taut, like a bow.

“Allura.”

Having gone back to brainstorming herself, Allura nodded, not hearing him. The pair in the ruins had to be engaging in some kind of dance, what else were they doing? Maybe that’s why the platform was here – they both would have to copy the moves on top of it for it to work. A bit more…  _free-spirited_  than what she had expected, but if it would lead them to the secret of Altean alchemy and out of this blasted room, she’d do her best –

She turned towards Lotor, a triumphant grin on her face. “I think I cracked the code.”

Beside her, Lotor sucked in a breath. Still looking away from her, he ran a hand through his long hair, making it look decidedly more frazzled than usual. “It’s, ah, rather uncouth, isn’t it?”

Allura frowned, confused. He’s usually so poised and deliberate, did dancing freak him out that much? She reached out and touched his forearm, ignoring the way she could feel his muscles jump underneath his armor. “It’s fine. I’m no good either, but I’ve practiced with the Paladins.”

“ _What._ ”

He whipped his head around that time, staring straight at her. Allura quickly took her hand off him, drawing back subconsciously. Did the idea of dancing offend him that much? Was it a faux pas for the Galra that she didn’t know about?

“Um, is there a problem?”

Lotor shook his head with a jerk, still looking at her like he’d never seen her before. “Nothing. I just… didn’t expect you to have that kind of relationship with them.”

“I mean, we’ve been through so much together. I’d like to think that we’re friendly enough to engage in a bit of fun without it being strange.” Now she’s a bit offended herself. What did he think she was, some kind of stick in the mud?

“I suppose it just wasn’t what I expected.”

Allura sniffed. “Well, you’ve made that clear, haven’t you?” Biting her tongue to keep from saying anything more, she turned away from him. Seeing that flabbergasted look on his face a second longer was just going to make her even more annoyed. “Let’s just hurry and get this over with.”

If she was in a better mood, the choked sound he made in response would have made her laugh with how out-of-character it sounded coming from him. Instead she stalked over to the nearest wall, ready to try and memorize whatever dance steps it wanted them to do so that they can get finally get out of here. She pointedly ignored his “if you insist”, choosing to devote her attention to figuring out what kind of choreography it wanted from them.

She squinted. For a dance, the steps seemed to have the two figures a lot closer than any dance style she’d seen before. These moves were Altean, right?

Allura began to turn back towards the prince. “If you’re done being so shocked, do you think you could look at these agai-  _What in the quiznak are you doing_.”

Lotor stood there, hands frozen with his armor half undone. She could just see the top of his (obnoxiously sculpted) lavender chest, his long hair gathered to one side. He sputtered, his face turning an interesting shade of violet that she could see even from where she was. “You said let’s get it over with!”

“So why’re you taking off your armor?!”

“I just said…!” He grimaced, flapping a hand towards the platform. “ _You_  acted like you wanted to hurry and get this done. I’m only going along with what you said.”

“Nowhere did I tell you to get  _naked_ , Lotor!”

“How else are we supposed to do this,  _Allura_.”

She held back the urge to scream, but only just. Now  _she_  was the one running her hands through her hair, the start of an especially piercing headache beginning to pound behind her temples. She took a moment to gather herself. “Okay. Clearly there is some kind of miscommunication.” Allura pointed at him. “I don’t know  _how_ the Galra dance, but on Altea and  _most everywhere else_ , we do it clothed.”

Lotor sneered. “’Dance?’ Is that some kind of euphemism?” He flipped his hair over his shoulder. “If you’re feeling shy, you only had to say so.”

Much to her chagrin, Allura’s cheeks started to burn. Whether from anger or embarrassment, she refused to think about. “I mean actually  _dancing_. What in the world are you talking about?”

Now he was the one looking confused. “We have to have intercourse to get out of here. What’s this about dancing?”

“Excuse me??”

She was about ready to slap him across the face. Lotor, seeing the look on her face and the quickly building rage that was apparently  _not_ because she was shy, held his hands up in defense. “Please, wait. I think we misunderstood one another.”

“ _Obviously_.” Still breathing harder than before, Allura scowled fiercely, her hands clenched into fists. “If this is some kind of…  _Galran humor_ , I take back what I said about you being funny.”

Lotor sighed, leaning back so he could sit on the platform. His movement made his suit peel even further down his chest. Not that she was looking. “I’m not trying to joke. These illustrations… did you not notice how sexual they are?”

“I just thought they were dancing!”

Though now that she was really looking…

She frowned, tracing one with her finger. “Okay, perhaps I was wondering how this dance could be physically possible. But how are you so sure they want us to…”

“Besides all the various  _positions_ they’re in, it’s the platform itself. It glows when we’re both on it, correct? Also,” He patted the spot next to him. “If you’ll sit here, I can test something.” She must’ve given him a look, because he rolled his eyes, his whole demeanor acting as if she was one big inconvenience to him. “I promise I am not going to do anything untoward to you.”

Her face twisting like she had eaten something particularly unpleasant, Allura inched towards him, gingerly taking a seat next to him once she was close enough. Already she could see that same glowing light spreading from where their bodies were seated. This close to him she could almost catch his scent, a surprisingly pleasant combination of both masculine and feminine. His voice was slightly hushed as he inclined his head towards hers. “I’m just going to touch your hand. Is that all right?”

Was his voice deeper too? She held back a shiver as she gritted out “Fine” and laid her palm flat against the platform. He gently placed his hand on top of hers. Immediately, the white light began to turn pink, originating right where their hands were touching.

Was it just her, or was it getting decidedly warmer in this room? His hand felt searing against hers, echoing curls of heat stirring inside her belly. Absently, she told herself that while Lotor had always been objectively handsome, that still didn’t explain why she was getting so turned on from what was essentially just hand-holding.

“How did you know?” Allura whispered, not even sure herself why she was. Lotor’s eyes were  _piercing_  as they gazed into hers, gold and blue seeming to shine even brighter than usual.

After what seemed like ages, he swallowed, breaking whatever spell was happening as he broke eye contact, lifting his hand away from hers. He cleared his throat as Allura blinked, shaking herself out of it.

“I didn’t, not exactly,” Lotor continued. Allura had to take a second to remember that they were in the middle of a conversation. “My research did not tell me anything about the trials we’d have to go through here, but alchemy is about equivalent exchange, correct? Perhaps this room only needs to harness our energy in order to let us pass through.”

The logic was dubious, at best, but there was something about that pink light, the aura between them shifting, that made Allura believe that maybe the idea was possible after all.

She took a deep breath, mentally steeling herself, before standing up. “All right. We do this until… completion, and then hopefully these blasted walls open up.” She almost let out a few choice words about how  _lacking_  his research turned out to be, but she kept her mouth shut. Getting into another argument wouldn’t do any of them any good, especially since they were very soon going to have to be intimate with one another.

Intimate. Hoping the sudden lump in her throat was just nerves instead of her about to be sick, Allura stiffly walked over to the side. “I’m just going to undress over here.”

Her mind was racing too much to hear whatever he said in response, but she assumed he would as well. With hurried, jerky movements, she began to tug her boots off.

Just think of it as… a unification ceremony. She’d been to enough of those, right? As a Paladin herself, she’d attended and participated in many a planets’ rituals. As an  _ambassador_  she’s even hosted a fair few. Maybe some of them didn’t make a whole lot of sense, but she’d had enough diplomatic experience to get through them, just like she would get through this.

Boots placed aside, Allura reached behind her to start unzipping her space suit. That’s right. This is just a more hands-on ritual. There’s nothing about this that she can’t handle. The Sages had let them in this far, the White Lion certainly wasn’t popping up to tell them any different, everything was going fine. Everything will  _be_ fine.

Allura stepped out of her suit, inanely taking the time to fold it and place it besides her shoes. Her undergarments went soon after that, all gathered in that same pile. Finally, she was fully bare to the room, her white hair tumbling down her shoulders the only thing giving her a shred of modesty.

Despite the terrible circumstances, it was oddly freeing to be so naked outside of her quarters. She thought she would have gotten a chill once she was fully undressed in this cave, but the temperature was surprisingly pleasant. Sneaking a glance behind her, she saw that Lotor had fully disrobed as well, his back facing towards her. Her cheeks warmed as she caught a glimpse of long, muscular legs and his round backside before she quickly turned back around.

“I am finished.” Allura practically squeaked.

There was a pause before she heard Lotor rasp, “I am as well.”

Perhaps she wasn’t the only one finding this whole experience completely nerve-wracking? Emboldened, she turned around, almost at the same time as Lotor himself.

She knew he had to have had a fit physique – anyone with eyes could tell that. But it was a completely different thing altogether to see him in the nude. Allura tried to be polite and not stare, but it was hard not to focus on how broad his chest was, how it tapered into a trim waist and shapely thighs, and the way his muscles moved under his skin as he shifted. With a quick glance down  _there_ , everything appeared to be as it should be as well.

Allura snapped her eyes back up once again, noticing that he, too, was trying very hard to keep his gaze centered on her face, only giving himself away with how deeply purple his cheeks had turned, the color reaching all the way to the tips of his ears. It was… oddly endearing.

There was a beat, both of them standing still while pretending not to ogle each other. Finally, Allura let out an awkward laugh, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“Well. Shall we?”

For a moment she thought that Lotor didn’t hear her. She was about to repeat herself before he seemed to shake himself with a shudder, his back ram-rod straight as he turned to sit on the platform, no longer making eye contact. “Yes, let’s.”

Slowly, Allura sat beside him, making sure to leave a respectable distance between them. Even though it had been a short time since Lotor had joined them, Allura thought she had a pretty good idea of who he was. A man very much in control of himself - whether naturally or from years of discipline, she was still learning herself, but she had never seen him lose his cool before. Now, though…

His mouth was twisted into a grimace as he determinedly glared towards some indiscernible point on the wall, almost as if steeling himself. His hands kept clenching and unclenching in his lap. She thought it was just embarrassment, stars, she was embarrassed enough herself, but as she watched his face shift from violet to something decidedly more  _puce_ , she began to grow concerned.

“Um, Lotor?”

His head whipped towards her, his pupils narrowed into cat-like slits. “ _What_.”

“You just look... are you okay?”

“Fine, never better.” He chuckled. It was probably meant to be reassuring, but sounded more like a manic cough than anything. Allura bit her lip.

“Maybe we should just sit here, for a tick?”

Lotor shook his head with a jerk. “No. The more time we waste, the less oxygen your friends have.”

Allura was so distracted with that thought that she was completely caught off guard when Lotor suddenly lunged forward, smashing his mouth to hers while holding her jaw in his hands.

“ _Mmph_!”

She gasped, but Lotor quickly took that opportunity to press his tongue into her mouth, practically curling it around the backs of her teeth. Sputtering, she shoved him back, trying to ignore the way her lips were now wet with saliva as he disconnected with a wet smack.

“What in the world was that?!” She yelped, keeping her hands on his shoulders. He frowned, blinking at her as if  _she_  was being unreasonable.

“I thought it was clear we had to have intercourse?”

Allura winced. “Yes, but that doesn’t have to include having a tongue shoved down my throat. Can’t you be, I don’t know, more gentle?”

“Gentle.”

There was a pause. With a look of intense concentration, Lotor reached up and took one of Allura’s hands in his own, much like when they held hands earlier. Only this time, he interlaced his fingers with hers, giving a little squeeze when she gripped his back. Throughout all of this, he maintained steady eye contact, his face still just as flushed as before.

There was another pause.

“…You know, you  _are_  allowed to kiss me. If you feel comfortable. Just, a little less rough, please.”

And a lot less tongue, but Lotor seemed so close to having some kind of episode that Allura wasn’t sure if she should say much more. Even now he looked ready to bolt, but  _why_  was he so scared? It wasn’t something she did, was it?

Unless…

Lotor leaned forward, slowly, inching along until he was so close Allura could feel his shaking breath on her lips. His eyes closed, white eyelashes fanning across the tops of his cheeks. A better start, Allura thought, closing her eyes in turn. Maybe he just needed another try?

He pressed his lips to hers, softly. This time she could appreciate just how warm they are, how careful he was as he slowly shifted closer, letting out a shuddering breath through his nose. They slid against hers, building pressure as he grew more confident. Allura shivered, pressing back, distinctly aware of how naked they both were and how the ends of his hair were trailing along her skin the closer the got to each other.

Then he reached up and honked her breast.

Allura couldn’t help but snort right in his face, leaning back to raise an eyebrow and smile in disbelief. “Really? Is this how the Galra feel up someone?”

She meant it to be cheeky instead of a real critique, but Lotor recoiled as if he’d been slapped, pulling back even further than before. He frowned and looked away. “I apologize if the technique wasn’t to your taste,  _Princess_.”

Was he actually pouting? She thought he was just fooling around, not  _actually_  trying to pass off some heavy-pawed fumbling with her chest as something even slightly skillful. Allura was about to retort back with exactly that before she caught herself, her eyes going wide as a thought occurred to her.

The awkwardness, the intense blushing, the absolutely abysmal initial kissing and apparently, breast fondling. Was Lotor actually…

But no, it can’t be.

Apparently she had been silent too long, because Lotor, nonplussed, asked “Allura?” She shook her head, stunned, completely uncaring that they were both currently sitting there, nude, trapped in some temple with the seconds ticking away and time not on their sides. She had to know.

“Are you a virgin?”

**Author's Note:**

> We love cliffhangers!
> 
> This is wildly OOC, but goddamnit I live and breathe by this trope. I'll have the next part up soon!


End file.
